One travel brand thinks it can resurrect the independent social network

Between the late-2000s and around 2012, countless travel startups tried (and failed) to create their own travel social network.

The idea was that travellers would want to connect either with one another or lure their friends and families into a closed group so that they could share experiences, image and videos, etc.

There were numerous problems with this strategy: people, generally, just do not travel frequently enough to warrant the need to join a network solely for sharing and connecting; and it's ridiculously difficult (and expensive) to get users in the front door in the first place.

But the overriding challenge is that there is another social network that has the volume and the functionality, and is already present in hundreds of millions of lives for countless reasons: Facebook.

With the exception of, perhaps, WAYN or Gogobot, both of which have managed to get users and engagement to create popular networks of their own with lots of online bells and whistles, many have since abandoned the idea that they can replicate what Facebook does but within a niche such as travel.

But in recent weeks, online travel service Goibibo has made some impressive noises about its ambitions to try a social network of its own.

In the next few months, users will be able to add photos, reviews, rate products, ask questions within the community and then share the content around their network.

Other features will include get recommendations and discover new destinations - the same type of activity that the plethora of other travel social networks have tried.

Founder and CEO, Ashish Kashyap, says the launch will strengthen "the network effects" of the brand.

"The 3.4 million users who have got connected on Goibibo is a testimony of the fact that we are on our way to create India’s largest traveler’s community.
"We believe that the combination of an engaged travel community combined with a reliable and trustworthy booking experience will further strengthen Goibibo."

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Having that large number of users is a decent start - yet, as with every other brand that has attempted to create a community, volume of users only goes so far when factors such as frequency and engagement truly come into play.